


The Celestial Trash Panda Chronicles

by lostangelkira



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: #twins, Canon Divergence, Cute, Ella is human sunshine, F/M, Fluff, Lucifer is a little 'evil', Maybe - Freeform, Michael can be a child, Not really sure, Possible Romance?, Protective Michael, Slow Burn, caring Ella, forced transformation, just like Lucifer, raccoon!Michael, so much potential fluff, terrible at slow burn, trash panda!Michael
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:01:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29441595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostangelkira/pseuds/lostangelkira
Summary: After God broke up the fight between Michael, Amenadiel and Lucifer at the precinct, Michael wakes up in an alley. As a raccoon. After finding himself caught in a storm, he finds shelter with Ella. She gives him a place to stay, while helping him find a way to get back to normal. What happens next?Chaos. Chaos happens.
Relationships: Ella Lopez/Michael
Comments: 22
Kudos: 55





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I blame the Mi-Clowns Discord for this idea. (Just kidding, love you guys.)
> 
> After someone mentioned this as an idea...this popped in my head.
> 
> So I made a thing.
> 
> You guys are welcome.
> 
> Quick Note: Obviously this is after Season 5A. In this, Ella found out at the start of Season 5 that Lucifer is the Devil and is now a Celestial Insider (she took it well). And as much as I love the fact Ella has Margaret the bathtub chicken in the show, in this fic, she decided against getting Margaret.

-Michael-

He groaned as he came to. It was dark, wet and cold where he was. The last thing he remembered was that he'd been fighting with Amenadiel and Lucifer at the police station. Then Dad showed up. He'd been less than pleased with his attempts to mess with Lucifer's life. Of course, their father was forgiving the petulant man child for questioning him. Yet, where was his apology for crippling him? Where was his apology for being ignored for centuries when all he'd ever done was follow Father's orders? Instead, he gets talked down to, then punished. That's when everything went dark.

He rolled to his front and pushed himself to his feet. That's when he realized something was very off. He found himself in an alley. But why was the trash can next to him taller than him? He was over six feet tall. This should be impossible. Looking down, his stomach flipped. He wasn't just shorter...he was a completely different species. Dark gray fur covered his body, keeping him warm at least. He still had hands from the looks of it, just much smaller and black. Sharp claws tipped his fingers and toes. He managed to twist enough to see he had a tail, black rings running up the length of the appendage. Seeing a quick glint of light, he noticed a broken mirror resting against the alley wall. Michael managed to walk over to it, his suspicions confirmed. Staring back at him, was a skinny, slightly dirty raccoon.

“Well fuck me,” he growled, poking at his muzzle. He paused a moment. Looking at his reflection harder, he talked at his reflection. “Hi, I'm Michael, Archangel of the Lord, now turned raccoon.” Yep, he could still speak. “Way to go, dad. Looks like your sense of humor has improved.”

Michael poked his head out of the alley. He noticed an apartment complex across the street. Rain had started to fall. It was light, but knowing his luck, it wouldn't stay that way for long. The area looked a little familiar, though. Finding it faster to move on all fours, he darted across the street while it was quiet, hiding behind a mailbox when someone was walking away from the complex. Once the coast was clear, he moved through the darkest parts of the complex's parking lot. As he turned a corner, he found he was at the back end of the complex. Three dumpsters lined the wide alleyway. A fire escape was just above him, another on the far end of the building, from what he could tell.

His stomach growled loudly. Michael winced at the pang of what must be hunger. Oh great. Could this night get any worse? A loud crack sounded overhead. Looking up, he could see lightning playing across the clouds. Yep. This storm was about to get bad. He heard a window open and heard an all too familiar voice. It was...Ella. The scientist that worked with Lucifer and Chloe. Big time believer is their dad. If he recalled correctly, she just got clued into the fact that Lucifer is the Devil and the whole kit and caboodle. As annoying as he found her when he worked with her briefly...she was a good person. Maybe he could get her to take a little pity on him and at least let him wait out the storm in her apartment. He found her leaning out a window on the fourth floor, looking up at the stormy sky. The fire escape was right at her window. And it looks like it wouldn't be too hard to reach the fire escape from the dumpster just in front of him. Piece of cake.

He found a box that by a trash can just to the left of the dumpster. Yep, just a few hops and he'd get right up there. The jump up to the dumpster was the easy part. Once on top of the dumpster, he jumped to reach the fire escape ladder. Michael just barely missed it.

“I need a running start,” he said to himself. He backed up to far end of the dumpster. Taking a moment, Michael then ran full tilt towards the other side of the dumpster. Jumping at the very edge, he just barely managed to grab the bottom rung. “Yes! Ha ha! Got it!”

Climbing the ladder...was a production. He wasn't a human at the moment. Or built like one, if you want to get technical. Once he reached the first landing, he had to stop. His right side was aching and he was tired. The rain started getting harder and within minutes, he was soaked through. The climb to the next landing was even harder. He just had one more to get up. Michael grunted and growled against the pain in his side and back as he jumped from rung to rung, clinging hard. He mistimed the jump to grab the edge of the opening up to the last landing, his hands slipping. Michael managed to grab the rung just below.

He clung to it, shaking hard. He hurt. He was tired...cold.

“Easy there, little buddy,” he heard Ella say, just above him.

Before he could move or say anything, he felt hands grab him just under his arms and lifted him up. He looked up to see her pull him to her chest before moving back to her apartment window and step back inside. She set him down on the hardwood floor right behind a couch. She turned and closed the window, locking it before letting the curtain fall back into place. Michael shivered a little.

“Poor thing,” she said, “You're soaked through.”

“Hard to stay dry when it's raining cats and dogs,” he said.

She froze, stepping back a bit.

“Michael?” she asked.

She backed up more, clearly afraid. He could feel it, but he couldn't really manipulate the emotion. Guess he was more crippled like this than he thought.

“Yeah,” he answered. “I'm...on a time out, you could say.”

“As a raccoon?”

“Apparently, our dad has found his sense of humor,” he sighed, shivering more from being soaking wet. “Seriously, no tricks, no lies here. I woke up like this in the alley across the street. I'm tired, hungry and now soaking wet and freezing. I was just hoping for some shelter tonight. That's all.”

“Not going to lie, this seems fitting as a punishment for you,” she said. “From what Chloe and Lucifer have told me about you, you were basically a human shaped raccoon before.” She stared at him for a bit, her gaze softening when he sneezed a couple of times. “Ok. I'll let you stay here. Not just tonight, but until we figure out how to get you changed back. As long as you behave yourself and don't cause me any problems, got it?”

“Crystal clear,” he said.

Ella nodded once. “Good.” She picked him up again and walked into her bathroom. “Guess it's a good thing I decided not to get a bathtub chicken.”

Michael had no idea what to say to that, so he chose to ignore that statement. He was a little confused when she started running water in her tub, plugging it so it could fill.

“I'm already wet here,” he grumbled, shaking from the cold.

“Trust me, you'll feel better if we give you a quick bath. Besides, you just said you woke up in an alley. I don't know what you've been in.”

Michael was going to argue, but decided against it. He could hear how hard it was raining outside, he didn't want to try her patience. Once she had the bath filled, she set him in it and grabbed a bottle of shampoo. Michael had to admit, the warm water felt nice and made his side hurt less. He rested against her arm while she rubbed the soap through his fur, careful not to get the soap in his eyes.

“Told you it'd help you feel better,” she chuckled.

He stayed quiet, feeling a bit sleepy. When she scratched under his chin, he let out a chirping noise that made her smile. It was embarrassing...but he was too worn out to really care much. Once she was done with soaping him up, Ella grabbed her detachable shower head and turned it on to rinse him. It wasn't on the full spray, but it felt awesome as she rinsed him off. With that done, she left him in the cooling water a minute, grabbing a towel. After unplugging the drain, Ella picked him up again and set him on the rug in front of her tub. She took the towel and wrapped it around him, rubbing quickly all over to dry him off. It took a little while, but she got him dried off. Next, she took a brush and gently ran it all over him, smoothing his coat. Not going to lie, that felt pretty good too.

“There you go,” she said, grabbing the damp towel and tossing it in her hamper. “You hungry? I ordered pizza and it just showed up right before I found you.”

“Starving,” he replied, his stomach growling again.

He followed her out of the bathroom, climbing onto her couch while she went to her kitchen. She came back a few minutes later with a plate in one hand, a soda bottle under one arm and a bowl in her other hand. When she sat next to him, she placed the bowl next to her leg. He found it was water. She set her soda on the table on her left before holding the plate out to him. He took the smallest slice of pizza off and went to town on it. Michael made sure to be careful not make a mess. The pizza tasted amazing; pepperoni, bacon and pineapple. He ended up getting another slice of pizza when she wasn't looking, eating a slice of her own while watching TV. After the second slice, his stomach was still growling. He swiped the last slice on her plate just as she went to grab it.

“Man, you were hungry, huh?” she laughed. “You're good, man. Here.” She set the plate just under him, a few of the toppings dropping on it. “I'm going to go grab another plate.”

After that slice and eating the stray toppings, Michael was full. It was a relief. He drank the entire bowl of water too. Ella took his plate and put it under hers while she finished her dinner. Not long after, she took the plates and the bowl back to the kitchen. When she came back, she stretched out on the couch, pulling her throw pillow under head. He panicked a bit when she pulled him up to rest along her front, cradled to her chest before pulling a blanket over herself and him.

“Relax, Michael,” she told him. “Just making sure you're comfortable and I wanted to just lie here and enjoy some TV. If you want, I can make up a box for you.”

“No,” he said after a minute. “This...this is fine. Thanks.”

She just gave him another smile before turning her attention back to the TV. He curled up against her front. It wasn't long before he drifted off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

-Michael-

He startled awake, the surface he was lying on, moving. Looking up, he found that was curled up on a pillow, Ella sitting on the edge of the bed to his right. She must have moved him while he was asleep. He must've been worn out if he couldn't remember it.

“Morning,” she yawned, turning to face him. “You sleep ok?”

“Yes,” he said, stretching his whole body. “My side is feeling a lot better.”

“I didn't know you were hurt,” she replied with a frown.

“It's an injury I got from...Lucifer's fall,” he told her, following her out of the bedroom and through her apartment. “I've got a bit of a limp on a good day.”

“Let me know if it bothers you,” she said. “Now...time for some breakfast.”

He jumped up onto her counter, watching while she mixed up some batter and set a frying pan on the stove to warm.

“Pancakes ok?” she asked.

He nodded. Michael saw a spatula off to his right. He picked it up and held it out to her. She gave him a smile.

“Thanks, man,” she said, taking it from him.

A few minutes later, she had two plates made up and took them over to a small table in a corner of her kitchen. His plate had two pancakes half the size of hers, some syrup drizzled on them, along with some fresh fruit. She set a bowl of water where he could reach it.

“You know I'm going to have tell Lucifer and Amenadiel about this,” she said. “I know the three of you aren't getting along, but they're going to be the best help we can get for you.”

“And I know my twin...he's going to be insufferable,” he groaned. “Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you if you end up collateral damage with his antics.”

“Bro, he better watch himself,” she told him, pointing her fork in his direction. “Otherwise, he's going to be on the business end of my shoe.”

Michael chuckled at the memory of this five foot nothing Latina yelling at him in Spanish while proceeding to assault him with her shoe. It had smarted. And when Chloe was near him...he was vulnerable. Hmm...if he egged him on just enough and he'd get a front row show to the smack down.

“So...I take it I'm going to be fending for myself while you're at work?” he asked.

“Oh no you're not,” she told him. “You sir, are going to hitch a ride in my backpack and hang out with me. After work...we're going to be meeting with your brothers at Chloe's tonight. It's Taco Tuesday.”

“Why do I have a feeling that this is going to be a bad idea?” he asked.

When he got no answer, he went back to eating his breakfast. After food was finished and the plates washed, Ella turned on the TV before heading to her bedroom. Feeling a heavy weight in his belly, it dawned on him what he needed now. He managed to get into her bathroom and get the door shut. Thankfully, he wasn't hurting much. He was able to jump up on the top of the toilet tank and get the lid pulled up. The next part...required some careful positioning, but he was able to use the facility and get himself clean. Sitting on the edge of the sink, he managed to pull the lever to flush just as Ella opened the door.

“Don't ask,” he grumbled as she looked between him and the toilet.

“Good to know you're house trained,” she teased, laughing as he cursed.

She shut the door on him. He wandered out to the living room and watched the news that had come on. Ella came back out at least twenty minutes later, clean and dressed. Grabbing her messenger bag, she shifted some things around before setting it on the couch, wide open.

“Get in and no squirming,” she told him. “We got a couple stops to make before we get to the station.”

Michael hesitated at first, but eventually climbing in, curling up tight once he shifted stuff around so it didn't poke him uncomfortably. It was a little nerve-wracking once she had the bag settled against her hip. He bounced around a bit, making him feel a little nauseous. It didn't take long to get out of her building and to her car. She carefully placed the bag in the passenger seat of her car. He pushed at the flap over his head, poking his head out as she buckled the seat belt around the bag. Ella drove carefully, keeping in mind not to jostle him too much. The ride was smooth, lasting about ten minutes. Looking up, he found them outside of a random store. He couldn't see the name, but when Ella grabbed the bag he was in, he curled up again. Staying quiet, he listened while she went inside. Soft music could be heard. Michael panicked a bit when the bag got set down and she pulled him out.

“Aww, how cute!” another female voice said. “You work for the rehab association?”

“I volunteer,” Ella replied, holding him carefully. “This poor guy was found in pretty bad shape and had been through a lot of therapy. He limps a bit, but is in good shape otherwise.” She set him on the tiled floor, getting out a card and handing it to the woman. Clearly she worked at this store; a pet store, from the looks of it. “As you can see from my ID with the California Animal Rehab Coalition, I'm certified to care and keep this cutie. I just got him the other night...emergency situation. So I'm here to get some supplies, leash and harness...the works.”

“Not a problem,” the clerk said with a smile. “Let's get you taken care of.”

A half hour later saw them coming out of the store, Michael no longer in the bag. At least Ella had taken some pity on him and didn't get the day-glo orange harness; opting for a blue and safety green harness with reflective piping and matching leash. It was still kind of uncomfortable, though. Ella had another large bag in her hand with some other stuff for him to use. She picked him up to put him back in the front seat, setting the rest of the stuff in the floorboard. It took another ten minutes to get to the precinct, Ella making a couple of calls about him to the captain.

Once they were in the station and in her lab, she unhooked the leash.

“Stay in here and out of trouble,” she warned him.

Michael shrugged, wandering around the space, looking at the different tools. He jumped up on one of the tables, looking at what was there. Ella had bought a pet bed, along with a couple of bowls. She got one out and filled it with water, setting it next to the bed, set aside in a dim corner of the lab. Once that was done, she got to work. He watched her for a while, occasionally handing her something or pointing something out. But sitting by her on a hard surface was doing a number on his back and side. He eventually made his way over to the space she set up for him and stretched out in the blue and green plaid bed she'd bought. It was surprisingly comfortable. Ella must have noticed and put on some soft music. He didn't listen to a lot of music, but it was nice.

Michael startled awake from a loud noise. He must've dozed off. Looking around, he found he was alone in the lab. Looking out one of the massive windows that made up the walls of the lab, he saw that someone had dropped a stack of files. He stretched and scratched at his ear a little. Going by the sun coming in from the outer windows out in the rest of the station, it was probably mid to late afternoon. His stomach rumbled, hunger pangs hitting hard. He drank some water, but it didn't help much. He found a note scrawled on a notepad by Ella's computer. She had to meet Lucifer and Decker to process a crime scene. Great. And he couldn't remember if she'd bought any snacks.

Looking out into the station, he noticed the vending machine. Granted, it wasn't like he had money to buy anything, much less reach the coin and bill slot. But he was pretty trim and flexible. Hmm... There was hardly anyone around. It should only take a minute or two...he could do this. Michael found the lab door was left unlocked and was pretty easy to open once he'd grabbed the handle, using his weight to pull it down.

Once out of the lab, Michael moved quickly, stopping to hide at each desk along the way. There were a couple of officers or civilian workers that came through, making him stop and hide. Five minutes later and he found himself directly in front of the vending machine. He tested the swinging door at the bottom, finding it moved really easy. He fit his head in nice and easy. Pulling himself up, Michael eased up and inside the machine. Perfect. Looking up, he tugged at one of the bags right above his head. It took a little bit of work, but he managed to get it free of the machine.

“At least Dad put me in a form that has great hand dexterity,” he mumbled to himself as he ripped the bag open and started eating the chips.

They were plain potato chips, but they tasted great all the same. He finished the bag quickly, but was still hungry. Looking up again, he could see the bottom row was mostly plain chips, salt and vinegar. Ew. The better choices were higher up. Michael pulled himself up, climbing up higher. He passed the sweets, wanting something salty instead. He pulled a bag of corn chips free and let it drop into the bottom. Next, he ran into the cool ranch puffs. Shrugging, he pulled one and dropped it into the bottom. Michael climbed back down carefully.

“Now to get out of here and take these back to the lab,” he told himself.

Grabbing the bottom of the flap, he pulled it towards him...and found he couldn't squeeze down enough to get under it.

“Uh oh.”

He moved to the other side and flattened himself against the side wall. Next, he got his little hand under the vending flap and pulled it up again. It just kept getting caught against his hip or belly. And with it being made of a rigid material, he couldn't bend it to get under it.

“Shit.”

Looking out the glass window, he found the station was still virtually empty. Looks like it was going to be a while. His stomach growled again. Oh well, at least he had his snacks.

-Lucifer-

“Well, that was a bit of an anti-climactic case,” he sighed. “Sad really...how some humans can kill for something so trivial.”

“At least we don't have to worry about stakeouts or anything like that,” Chloe said. “I don't know about you, but I'm really for a great dinner with everyone.”

“I'm always ready for anything with you,” he said with a smile. He looked up, confused as watched Ella in her lab. She looked kind of frantic, searching for something. “Huh. I wonder what has Ms. Lopez all frantic?”

Chloe looked up and was just as concerned as he was. They went over to the lab, opening the way inside.

“What's going on, Ella?” Chloe asked. “Did you lose something?”

She stopped and looked up at them. “Hey guys. Um...you remember that day at the station? When your Dad showed up and took the three of you for a chat?”

“Yes,” Lucifer said slowly. “Why? Has something happened?”

“Well...yeah,” she answered. “Last night, I had a raccoon of all things, climb up the fire escape of my building. Poor thing was soaked through. I volunteer rehabbing all kinds of animals, so I thought I would treat him. Apparently...it was your brother, Michael.”

“What?” Lucifer asked, unable to keep a smile off his face. “You're serious?”

“Yes, I'm serious,” she told him, rolling her eyes. “I guess your dad didn't want to leave him completely helpless, because he told me he woke up in an alley across the street from my building and he can still talk.” She sighed heavily. “Because of my certification in the rehabilitation of animals, I'm cleared to house and keep animals that aren't considered household pets, like a raccoon. I agreed to let him stay with me until we can figure out how to change him back. I brought him to work and I told him to stay here. When I left for the scene, he was napping.”

Hearing a startled shout, all of three of them looked out into the station. He couldn't help but grin. Lucifer walked out of the lab, both women following him over to the vending machine. Lucifer couldn't help himself, he laughed. Inside the vending machine, was a medium sized raccoon wearing a blue harness. There were at least five empty chip bags sitting in the bottom of the machine.

“Oh, how the mighty have fallen,” he drawled, tapping on the glass. “What's the matter, Michael? Your bum too big to climb back out?”

“Ha ha,” Michael aid sarcastically, licking some cheese powder off the back of his hand. “Laugh it up. If you must know, it's too narrow for me to get under the flap and climb back out.”

“And you didn't take the time to think about that before climbing in there?” Chloe asked, trying to keep a straight face.

“I was hungry,” he said with a shrug. “Now get me out of here. Please.”

“Maybe you should spend the night in there,” Lucifer said. “Fitting punishment for a snack thief.”

“Like you have any room to talk, Mr. I-Can't-Stop-Stealing-Dan's-Pudding,” Ella replied. “And save the whole 'I don't eat it because I'm hungry' excuse. You may do it partly to annoy Dan, but I know you enjoy pudding just as much as he does. Please, let him out.”

“Alright, alright,” Lucifer sighed. “Keep your knickers on.”

“I imagine you're bringing Michael with you to dinner?” Chloe asked Ella while he reached over and opening the machine up, the lock releasing for him.

“Figured might as well, let everyone know what's going on at once,” Ella answered. “That and I'd hate to leave him home alone.”

“I'm sure Trixie will be thrilled,” Chloe added as Lucifer picked Michael up out of the machine before closing it back up.

Michael looked up at his twin after he heard that. “Any way I can get you to put me back in the vending machine?” he asked.

Lucifer gave him a grin before handing him over to Ella. “Now why would I want to do that? Hmm...dinner and a show sounds like a fun evening to me.”

Dad damn it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapters for this story will be a bit short as my inspiration comes and goes. But here...we have a touch of fluff, a touch of feels. A very specific YouTube video of a raccoon given a specific, fluffy treat was the inspiration for this chapter. Enjoy!

“You promise to be nice to Trixie?” Ella asked for what had to be the fifth time as they pulled up in front of Chloe’s apartment.

“Yes,” Michael groaned. “I will be…wait, does she know about us? Or do I need to keep my mouth shut?”

“She knows,” Ella told him. “The kid believed Lucifer and Maze from the start. Though…Dan is still a little jumpy. And considering he tried to shoot Lucifer, I’ll look the other way if you decide to pick on him a little.”

He perked up at that, looking out the window while Ella undid his seat belt and picked him up. Michael didn’t like the prospect of his slightly older brother knowing about this. But if anyone could find a way to fix this…Amenadiel could. Michael carefully gripped the front of her shirt while she locked the car. She was careful with him as they walked up to the door and knocked. Chloe answered the door. Talking could heard from inside.

“Hi again,” Chloe said. “Please come in.”

She stepped aside and let them in. Ella slipped her shoes off before setting him on the floor and unclipping the leash from his harness. Lucifer was wearing an apron and working in front of the stove. Amenadiel was seated at the table, Dan on the couch, facing the TV, going by the sound coming from that direction. His older brother did a double take, eyebrow raised in confusion.

“Ella…I know I said that a keeping a chicken in your bathtub was a little illogical…but a raccoon?” Amenadiel said carefully.

“Hello to you too, Meni,” Michael said, rolling his eyes.

Amenadiel stared at him for a moment before laughing. Michael growled at him. It didn’t improve the situation. Or stop his laughter.

“So, this is the punishment Father decided on,” he chuckled. “It suits you, in a way.”

“Not the first time I’ve heard that,” he sighed. “I suppose I can’t persuade you to look into a way to change me back?”

“I would tell you that you’re stuck like this until Father sees fit,” Amenadiel told him. “But…he’s done this to a few of our siblings over time. And all of them managed to reverse it themselves. So…I guess I could look into it. If you promise not to cause trouble here on Earth once we get you changed back.”

“Agreed,” he said. “And I mean it.”

“Wow,” Trixie said, coming around and sitting on her knees next to him. “I've never been able to be this close to a raccoon before.”

“I'm not...ugh, I'm not going to even bother,” Michael said. “At least you're not trying to just pick me up.”

“Please, I’m not 5,” Trixie scoffed, reaching out and ruffling the fur on his head.

He grumbled, straightening it again.

“Make sure to wash your hands, urchin,” Lucifer said. “Dinner’s ready. I doubt Ms. Lopez has had a chance to take Michael to the vet yet. He could have something…unsavory.”

“Hey! I’ve been bathed!” Michael growled, moving towards Lucifer. “I…”

“Ah!” Ella said, grabbing the back of his harness. “Behave. Lucifer, that was uncalled for. And I made a vet appointment before we got back to the station and found him in the vending machine.”

“What?!” Michael shouted, twisting to look at his captor.

“It wouldn’t hurt to make sure you’re healthy,” she told him. “Besides, I need to have an up to date immunization record for you in case anyone in my complex asks any questions or gives me problems for having you there.”

“Ooh, can I tag along to watch him get his shots?” Lucifer asked, a little too eagerly.

“No way,” she said.

Michael relaxed and stopped trying to attack his brother. He’d prefer NOT to test if he was totally mortal or not. Trixie got up and went to wash her hands. Ella picked him up and took him over to the sink. They washed their hands together, then she got a bowl out and filled it with cold water. She set it on the floor next to her chair. Food got passed around, Ella making plates for her and for him.

Setting the plate next to her chair, Michael looked it over. Handful of chips with some green paste and salsa. Guacamole, if he remembered right. Some of the marinated steak and chicken, a tortilla. Black beans and rice. He settled in, picking up a piece of chicken. He didn’t even notice he started dipping his food in his water…washing it?

“The hell?” he asked himself quietly. “Stupid animal mannerisms are starting to take effect. Can this get any worse?”

“What are you going on about down there?” Lucifer asked from the far side of Chloe, on the other end of the table.

“Sounds like Michael’s started ‘washing’ his food,” Ella said, glancing down. “Yep. Just as I though. Raccoons wash their food. Not to mention they’ll pretty much eat anything they can get their hands on.”

Michael ate slower, fighting the urge to run it through his water bowl. Before he was finished, he’d given in to the impulse a little; only ‘washing’ his meat and sometimes the beans. The rest he managed to eat without giving into the compulsion. He managed another half a plate before he was full. While everyone chatted and cleared the table, Michael followed Trixie over to the couch, pulling himself up next to her. She put on a game show of some kind, sitting quietly. He let himself lean against her. His side was starting to ache and she was warm. Feeling fingers rake through his fur, he looked up. She was paying attention to the TV. Michael had to admit...it felt nice. He relaxed into it with a sigh.  
Michael was startled into focus some time later when a cupboard was shut hard.

“Who wants dessert?” Lucifer asked.

“I do!” Trixie said excitedly.

She helped him down to the ground. He limped lightly back towards the table. A lovely chocolate cake was set in the center of the table. Ella was nowhere in sight.

“Care for some cake, Ms. Lopez?” Lucifer called towards the hallway.

“Yes, please,” she called back. “Just need to use the bathroom.”

“Sorry, Mikey,” Lucifer drawled. “But chocolate is a no no for you. But I did make something with you in mind.”

He set a bowl where Michael could reach it. It held something pale blue and fluffy. It was an odd color for food. When he picked up a handful, he found it felt as soft as it looked. The texture had him frowning. He didn't like it. That urge to wash came back. Michael followed through with it. But as it touched the water in the bowl he'd been given...it disappeared.

“What the hell?” he asked. “Where did it go?”

Grabbing more, he tried it again. It disappeared just as quickly as the first handful. He tried it a third and fourth time. It just vanished into the water.

“Problem, Michael?” Lucifer laughed.

He looked up to see everyone; Amenadiel, Chloe, Lucifer...even Dan was laughing. At him.

“What's going on in here?” Ella asked, confused as she walked back in.

“I was just serving dessert,” Lucifer answered. “I thought it would be interesting to have Michael try cotton candy.”

Her face fell when she noticed he had his phone out, no doubt recording the whole thing.

“You didn't...,” she said, crouching down and picking up the water bowl. “You did.”

Michael was surprised by how quickly she moved. One moment she was next to him, the next she had her shoe in hand and threw it right at Lucifer's head. Her aim was dead on, the sole of her sneaker smacking him across his face. She got in his face and gave him a shove.

“He can't help it!” she shouted at Lucifer. “The behavior is inherent to the species Michael currently finds himself as! It's not something he can avoid all the time. How would you feel if you were compelled to do something and have no control over it? Only for people to use it against you, and make a joke of it, hmm?”

“I just...”, he started to say.

Ella slapped him into silence.

“No! You don't get to justify this as payback for what Michael did before or an excuse to recreate that stupid YouTube video! Granted, he did some pretty crappy stuff; trying to take your life...kidnapping Chloe. But this...it's like kicking him while he's down and can't defend himself.”

She hit him one more time before putting her shoe back on. Amenadiel took a step back when she turned to him. At least he had the decency to look contrite.

“Thanks for helping out with trying to find a way to help Michael,” she said. “Text me if you find anything, ok?”

“Sure thing,” he replied.

“We're going home,” she said, picking him up as she pulled her keys from her pocket. “Thanks for dinner, Chloe.”

Michael looked over her shoulder at everyone as they left. He waved to Trixie. She waved back. He stayed quiet as they drove back to her apartment. They didn't run into anyone thankfully. Once they were back at her place, she set him on the floor and took his harness off. She hung it on a hook by the door, followed by her hoodie. Ella kicked off her shoes and stormed off into the kitchen. Michael made his way to the bathroom first. It hurt to make the climb, but he managed to do what he needed and made quick work of washing his hands. That done, he practically dragged himself into the living room.

“Hang on,” Ella said softly when he struggled to climb the couch. She gently lifted him up onto the cushion before sitting down herself. A fairly large glass of wine sat on the table next to her side. She took a long drink off of it. “I'm sorry about that.”

“What?” he asked, trying to find a comfortable position.

“Uh...how about that meltdown where I beat your twin with my shoe?” she asked.

“I will admit, that was the best thing to happen in the last few weeks,” he said with a light chuckle. “It made my day.” He sighed as he thought about what she'd said about what he'd done. “But I guess I'd earned the payback. I was pretty damn awful.”

“It still wasn't fair for him to pull that stupid prank on you,” she said, turning on the TV. “It...I've had friends pull jokes like that before on me. I thought I could trust them with things about me that most people would think were weird or crazy. Only then they took that information and made fun of me. I had a really hard time trusting anyone after that. Lucifer is...eccentric is putting it mildly. But I never thought he would be that mean.”

“It's fine, Ella,” Michael told her, moving closer to her. “Really. It makes me feel kind of dumb for falling for it. But if that's the worst he does until I'm back to normal...I'll take it.”

Michael hissed in pain, his right leg cramping.

“Hurting bad?” she asked him.

He nodded, the pain too sharp to put up a front or lie to her.

“Since you have to use the bathroom, eat and sleep...maybe medicine can help you, even for a little while,” she said. “I'll be right back.”

He watched some kind of survival show while Ella moved back and forth through the apartment. When she came back, Ella moved him. He yelped in pain from the movement.

“Sorry,” she told him. “It's just for a minute.”

Michael watched her fold a small fleece blanket of some kind on his end of the couch, a cord attached to it. She ran it off the far side of the couch, moving to plug it in. After fiddling with something for a moment, she moved her pillows to that side. He grit his teeth as she picked him up again, setting him in her lap. She handed him some kind of food.

“Eat this,” she told him. “It's peanut butter and oats. I put a couple of muscle relaxers left over from a fox I helped rehab in it.. He'd pulled a muscle and these helped him relax enough to sleep.”

He did as she asked. It was pretty good. She then held a sports bottle up to allow him to drink from it. He drained half of it before yawning. She settled him on top of the corded blanket, his right side against the soft material. Heat radiated off of it, making him groan. It sank into his muscles and bones, helping with the pain.

“Better?” she asked him with a smile.

“Yes,” he replied. “Thanks.”

Ella's smile got wider. She eased onto her side and against the pillows she'd placed there, facing the TV. Her arm draped over him loosely, her hand resting against his chest. He laid there, watching the TV with her, Ella's fingers gently combing through the fur on his chest. Michael felt grateful as his body relaxed, the medicine she gave him working to some degree. For the first time in a long time, he felt peace. And he was grateful for it. As he drifted off, he only hoped for things to get better.


End file.
